The present invention relates to a storage system providing a data storage area to a host computer.
In recent years, storage systems that provide data storage areas to host computers have become widespread. In such a storage system, a RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) system is used in order to improve reliability in relation to disk device failure, or to improve data transfer speeds (See, for example, U.S. Patent Published Application Nos. 2003/221063, and 2004/260861, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,748). Various different types of data recording format (also termed “RAID levels”) exist in a RAID system.
In order for a storage system to provide storage areas that match an application of the host computer, in some instances, the RAID level or other such storage area configuration is determined in response to a request of the host computer, and creation of the storage areas is carried out. As a result, there are instances in which provision of storage areas to the host computer is time consuming. For example, when creating storage areas using a RAID 5 system, parity write process is carried out. In this case, a storage area is provided after waiting for the parity write process to complete.
This problem is not limited to RAID 5 systems, but it is common to instances in which other RAID level systems are used. Furthermore this problem is not limited to storage systems that use RAID systems, but it is common to storage systems that create storage areas by means of executing processes of writing data.